Woman accused of stealing $540K from city pools indicted

HILLIARD, Ohio (AP) — A former central Ohio city employee who authorities say stole more than $500,000 in city pool admission fees has been indicted on theft and other charges.

WCMH-TV reports 47-year-old Heather Ernst, of Hilliard, was indicted Thursday in Franklin County on theft, theft in office, tampering with records and tax charges.

Authorities say Ernst stole $540,000 over a four-year period by not depositing all the money collected in admissions fees at city pools in Hilliard, a Columbus suburb. She had worked for the city of Hilliard for 24 years before resigning in November.

Court records don’t indicate whether she has an attorney. Publicly listed telephone numbers for Ernst have been disconnected.

The Hilliard City Council said in a statement that it’s “committed to recovering what was stolen.”